Toronto van attack: Who is police suspect Alek Minassian?

ALEK Minassian has been named as the suspected driver in a van attack which caused terror in north Toronto on Monday afternoon after 10 people were killed and 15 injured after the vehicle plowed into a crowd.

I would say he fairly deliberately hit pedestrians … before eventually careering off into one of the other side streets and out of view

Henry Miller

Officials also stated the the incident does not pose a larger threat to national security based on the information they currently have.

During a press conference officials said: “There would appear to be no national security connection to this particular incident.

“The events that happened on the streets behind us are horrendous, but they do not appear to be connected in any way to national security based on the information that is available at this time.”

Sunnybrook Hospital received multiple patients, including five in critical conditions, two in serious conditions, and one in a fair condition.

EPA

Alek Minassian has been named as the suspected driver in the attack

Two patients were pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital.

Henry Miller, a witness of the crash, commented on the incident saying: “I would say he fairly deliberately hit pedestrians … before eventually careering off into one of the other side streets and out of view.”

Other witnesses also said the driver appeared to deliberately drive at speed onto the pavement before "crumbling" pedestrians.

They said the driver swerved from side to side, on and off the pavement, in an apparent attempt to hit pedestrians.

A man who gave his name as Ali told CNN that the driver appeared to have been targeting people.

REUTERS

Sunnybrook Hospital received multiple patients, including five in critical condition

He said: "This person was intentionally doing this, he was killing everybody.

"He kept going, he kept going. People were getting hit, one after another."

He said a number of the victims were older people and at one point he saw a pram fly into the air.